SA Water takes longer to repair breaks, outages than any other state utility provider

SA WATER takes longer to repair breaks and outages than any other comparable utility across the country, and delays have been worsened by new occupational health and safety rules.

Daniel Wills

The AdvertiserApril 19, 20179:44am

SA WATER takes longer to repair breaks and outages than any other comparable utility across the country, and delays have been worsened by new occupational health and safety rules.

A new report card released by the Bureau of Meteorology has found SA Water takes an average of more than three hours to fix unplanned water interruptions, almost 50 per cent longer than its peers. SA Water’s 186-minute average repair time for unexpected outages in 2015-16 was a 14 per cent increase on the year before.

It compared to a national average of 136 minutes.

The results also show SA Water has the highest number of property connection sewer breaks and chokes, and the second highest rate of water losses per connection in the nation. However, it has a relatively low rate of water main breaks per 100kms of pipe, coming eighth out of 13.

A massive hole is left after a burst water main in Athelstone. Photo: Naomi JellicoeSource:News Corp Australia

The report finds the nation-leading delays in repairing unexpected water outages have been exacerbated due to materials used in the SA network, and a new State Government safety policy.

“SA Water Corporation again reported a high result,” it found.

“This result can be explained by new safety measures introduced in August 2015 to mitigate identified safety hazards in the repair of cast iron mains.

“Cast iron pipes are used extensively in SA and are more likely to fail from pressure issues. “Previously, these pipes were repaired under pressure. “However, new work, health, and safety measures require the water supply to be shut down and the area excavated before the pipe can be repaired. This process increases the number of shutdowns and is more time consuming.

“Cast iron mains are no longer laid in South Australia but it is predicted that future failures will predominantly concern cast iron pipes and therefore the duration of repairs may not be reduced.”

Burst water main in the Adelaide CBD. Picture: Emma BrasierSource:News Corp Australia

An SA Water spokesman said the report showed room to improve in some areas, while also finding that the state’s burst and leak rate ranked around mid-range compared to other utilities.

“The more brittle nature of the cast iron can lead to safety concerns during the repair process,” the spokesman said. “This requires the water supplied through these pipes to be shut off, instead of just having the pressure reduced, before excavation around them can commence.

“While this process helps protect our staff and the surrounding community, it does mean that the total water outage time can be longer than experienced with pipes of other materials, as excavation around them can begin before the water is shut off.”

SA Water said no cast iron pipes had been laid since the 1990s, but they made up 30 per cent of the network.

A cutout of Water Minister Ian Hunter at a burst water main in Hazelwood Park. Picture: Tait Schmaal.Source:News Corp Australia

Opposition environment spokesman David Speirs said it was clear SA Water could be doing better and its performance had fallen behind similar providers around the nation.

“SA’s average duration of unplanned water interruptions is almost an hour more than other states,” he said.

That’s an hour longer without access to water which can have big knock on effects.

“This is a basic service indicator reflecting on how well a water network is being managed and it clearly shows that SA Water is performing poorly.

“We know South Australians are propping up the State Budget by paying huge amounts for their water bills, and the least they should be able to expect is a service which is comparable to other water utilities around the nation, not one which lags hopelessly behind.”